The bright lights of squid boats passed within a boat length as we did 11 kts speeding past them. Fishermen were lighting up our sails with their searchlights to see what the massive silhouette was that was sailing through their backyard.
The Volvo Ocean Race passed the Vietnamese coast yesterday and the experience would universally be described as memorable. Forced by wind, currents and timing, the bulk of the fleet was forced navigate a fishing fleet number in the thousands under sail, in dark, and moving at speeds that are not friendly to bad decisions.
For a first-hand look at what it was like to be aboard last night… here’s a video of the Vietnamese coast under sail.
And for a closer look at the whole experience, check out this video that features a sailor from closer to Minot than you might expect.
Originally published on The Minot Voice: January 26, 2015